New York Giants: The 2011 NFL Season Is Not Lost Yet

Judging by what we’ve been hearing you'd think the New York Giants are 6-10, not 0-0.

To say they are having a bad offseason is a justifiable claim. They cut 40 percent of their offensive line. They failed to resign Kevin Boss and his replacement retired a few days after he signed with the team.

They watched Plaxico Buress sign with the New York Jets. They saw their division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, assemble a roster rivaling a fantasy team including former Giant Steve Smith.

Barry Cofield was snatched up by fellow division foe, the Washington Redskins.

Their first round pick broke his foot on the second day of training camp. And to top it all off, one of their best players is in a contract standoff with management.  

Did I mention optimism isn’t high in Giants land?

Remember, it's still August. Let's not count this team out yet.

Don't forget this team was 10-6 last year and only missed the playoffs because of tiebreakers. They did that despite quarterback Eli Manning throwing a league-high 25 interceptions.

Now, they did lose some talent, but it's not like they lost anyone irreplaceable. Smith isn't healthy and probably won't be the same receiver he once was when he returns.

Boss is a nice player, but he's not someone you break the bank for. As were seeing, Plaxico can't even stay on the field for the Jets.

Their offensive line was old and needed to be retooled. David Baas is an upgrade for them at center. David Diehl will shift inside to guard, a better fit for him, and William Beatty has great potential as a pass protector playing left tackle.

Cofield was a good player, but the Giants have more defensive lineman than they can handle. The loss of Prince Amukamara for two months will sting, but as a rookie in this shortened offseason, he couldn't have been counted on for a big role anyway.

And finally, that brings us to Osi Umenyiora. As the start of the season draws closer, the situation will be resolved. This isn't the Carson Palmer situation. His knee "injury" will magically heal and he'll be ready to go for Week 1.

One of the key ingredients for any good team is great pass rush and the Giants still have that. Just look at last year’s two Super Bowl teams, both of whom featured excellent pass rushers. They finished fifth in the league in sacks last year and they bring back almost the same crew. If you can rush the passer, it makes life much easier on the rest of the defense.

Couple that with an offense that features a 1-2 punch at running back in Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs and two receivers that can make plays on the outside and suddenly this team looks dangerous.

I wouldn’t call them a Super Bowl favorite, but this team will surprise people and will be fighting for a playoff spot.

This team is right where they want to be, under the radar.